Yes to Yahoo - No to Microsoft Bullying

In January the directors of Microsoft Corp. approached their colleagues of Yahoo and told them that they wanted to take over their business. They were prepared to pay $ 40 billion for it, and that would be that.

Well, in the language of high finance, such behaviour is called a "hostile take-over bit". And hostile it is indeed. Very hostile in my humble opinion.

When I heard about it first, I was also quite worried, since I have been using Yahoo e-mail and other services for many years.
I never had any problems with them, and neither had any other user I know. I contrast there are constant problems with Microsoft's e-mail service "hotmail" and even more so with the MSN Messenger service. Every time I used the MSN voice-mail option, the software froze my whole computer when I finished. Never ever has anything like it happened with the voice option of Yahoo Messenger.

So far my own technical observations. I am worried that in case of a take-over the superior and much more friendly service of Yahoo will disappear and be replaced by the inferior Microsoft standard.

To my great joy the directors of Yahoo have rejected the take-over bit. I am very happy with that. But not so the greedy people at Microsoft. I just learned that they have now given Yahoo "an ultimatum" of three weeks. Unless they give in by then, Microsoft threatens "to go directly to the shareholders".

I am sitting here and cannot believe my ears. An ultimatum? To submit by a specific date? This is the way Hitler operated, and how he annexed first Austria, then the Sudetenland and in the end the rest of Czechoslovakia!
Who the heck do these arrogant greedy bullies in charge of Microsoft think they are? I am very annoyed and angry. Yahoo has said no. That's it. Stick to your MSN and get your dirty hands off a good and decent company that is serving millions of people all around the world a lot better than you!

As I don't know who the Yahoo shareholders are, I cannot say how susceptible they might be to Microsoft bullying. But in the remaining three weeks we could all do our small bit to support the people at Yahoo and tell the people at Microsoft that we don't like their attitude.

So I urge everyone who reads this to write at least one letter to the headquarters of both Yahoo and Microsoft and express their feelings in a few simple words.
Customer satisfaction and positive PR are very important in international business. So we might have a change to get our voices heard. The more take part, the greater is the change to make a mark and be noticed.
Please take a few minutes and write an actual letter, since e-mail is too easy to be ignored by the people in huge companies. But physical letters on the desk get noticed and answered.

The Addresses:

Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399, U.S.A.
Address letters to: Mr. Bill Gates (Chairman) or Mr. Steve Ballmer (CEO)
Phone (800) MICROSOFT (642-7676)
Fax (425) 93-MSFAX (936-7329)

Yahoo! Inc., 701 First Avenue, Sunnyvale, California 94089, U.S.A.
Address letters to either: Ms. Susan L. Decker (President),
Mr. Jerry Yang (CEO) or Mr. David Filio (Chief of Yahoo!)
Phone (408) 349-3300 / Fax (408) 349-3301

I am only a humble blogger on his own, and alone I will make no difference. But if you help, and spread the word around the web, then there might be a chance to make our point. Tell Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer to leave Yahoo alone.
And tell the people in Yahoo that they have support from people who use their service.
Let's try and make this work. Thank you!

The Emerald Islander